The countdown to the eagerly-awaited British & Irish Lions tour to Australia is well and truly on following the final round of this year's Six Nations.

As we all tick off the days until the team depart Down Under, ESPNscrum will cast an eye across the action and pinpoint those players eligible for the elite tourists who are pushing their selection claims with strong performances.

Switched from inside to outside centre for the purposes of our selection, Roberts delivered his best performance of the championship to deny England any time and space while also giving them food for thought with ball in hand.

Bigger was able to dominate his England rival Owen Farrell thanks largely to the efforts of his pack but that is not to take away from his contribution at the Millennium Stadium with his distribution turning the screw at every opportunity.

Phillips was back to his best with his dominant pack giving him time and space to exploit England's stretched defence to the tune of 60m with ball in hand. He also weighed in with 10 tackles to help deny England a foothold in the game.

Jenkins returned from injury to play a pivotal role in his side's destruction of England. A tower of strength at scrum time, he was also inspirational as skipper having taken on the captaincy in the absence of the injured Ryan Jones.

One of the few England players to emerge from their Slam failure with any credit, Parling racked up plenty of yards with ball in hand and did more than most to work an opening in a resolute Welsh defence.

Warburton moved to blindside from openside as part of a back-row shuffle for the England game but was equally influential whether running hard at their rivals or chopping them down in their tracks - his return to top form will not have gone unnoticed.

Tipuric quite rightly picked up the Man of the Match honour in Cardiff with his work-rate in defence and attack causing England no-end of problems. His vision, pace and power makes him a formidable threat all over the park.